There's gotta be more
by Seafish0910
Summary: Mulder goes out of town, Scully feels like she might not be enough for Mulder, then a surprise happens.
1. Chapter 1

Forgive the fact I have other stories that I haven't updated in a bit, this idea entered my head and will not leave! Hopefully angsty! If you know me (or my other stories), you know I love the angst. Please review, that's how I know if you want more or not. This takes place around season 7, shortly after Per Manum and it messes with the time fram, assuming that Diana Fowley has only recently died and that our dynamic duo has been romantic for a fairly short amount of time. Hopefully it makes sense!

Not my characters so don't sue me, all I have is a mountain of student loan debt!

Chapter 1

Scully quietly shut the door behind her as she entered the dark apartment. She hadn't thought much about this, but had listened to her emotions and they led her here. She thought for a moment on the fact that she was trying to listen more to her gut rather than her head. She slipped her shoes off and walked quietly toward his bedroom. Once inside, she glanced at Mulder, sleeping with the other pillow curled up to his chest. She slipped her coat off and pulled back the covers, trying not to wake him.

He startled awake at that and jerked the pillow aside. "Scully?" he asked quietly as she paused to look at him. "Are you all right?" He continued. Their relationship was new enough that he wasn't used to her crawling into his bed, and he had the sense within him that the fact that she was crawling into his bed at 3 in the morning meant that something wasn't quite right.

She sighed. "I couldn't sleep, Mulder," she mumbled. "Is this…" she motioned toward herself and the bed. He quickly caught on that she thought he might not want her to invite herself in.

"Yeah, yes, come in," he moved the pillow he'd been clutching and lifted the blankets for her. "To what do I owe this visit?" he said as she got situated next to him. He brought the blanket up to her chin, tucking her in, in a sense. She was lying facing him now.

She pondered her words. She knew he was going out of town tomorrow, or rather, later today, and didn't feel like dropping a bomb on him before he left.

"Is this about…. The other day?" he propped his head up on an elbow. "The other day" was his way of saying "the failure" or "the fact you will never have a child".

"I…. is this really what you want, Mulder?" she asked fairly bluntly. Though she knew he could interpret that a million and one ways.

He looked at her with a confused expression on his face.

"You realize… if we…" She sighed. "Do you want kids, Mulder?" She rushed it out so fast he could barely catch what she said.

He nodded in understanding, contemplating his response.

"Mulder, I know this," she motioned between the two of them, "Is fairly new. I also know if we go much farther without having this conversation it will be a lot harder to go back," she rolled onto her back and looked at the ceiling.

"Scully," he brushed hair off of her face. "I… want you. And if that means no kids, then that means no kids. And like you said, this is fairly new, but that means we have all the time in the world to think about alternatives. You know as well as I do there are other options," he lay down and put an arm around her waist, cuddling up to her. "And honestly Scully, if I can't have those things with you then I don't want them at all," he said as she glanced back at him. Tears pooled in her eyes. He kissed her forehead. "Think you can sleep now?" he wiggled his eyebrows. "Or you need me to put you to sleep?" he inched a hand lower underneath the blankets. She leaned up and kissed him and lay back on the pillow.

"Just hold me, Mulder," she said, unsure if she would sleep whether he did or didn't. She rolled over and he spooned up against her back.

He sighed into her ear. "Sleep, Scully," he said and held her tightly.

To be continued! Sorry it's such a short chapter, but hang in there! There's gonna be a big surprise coming up…. Drumroll J


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Another short one, but don't you worry! **A fellow reader informed me the text editor was off, sorry about that, this should be a cleaner version.**

"You sure you don't want to come?" He said as she pulled up to the passenger drop off area at Dulles.

"You know how I'm just itching to see what there is for you to deal with regarding her will," she said slightly sourly.

"Just think of it as finally shutting a door that probably shouldn't have ever been opened," he reported and looked toward her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Scully."

"Tomorrow, Mulder. Why don't you come over for dinner and we can order in?" she questioned.

"Sounds great," he opened the door. He thought for a split second he should have kissed her, but he knew this was new and that it would likely backfire since they were in public. So he opted to lean down and peer into the open window, after gathering his bag. "Tomorrow, Scully." He met her eyes, hoping to express his thoughts with his eyes. She softened immediately.

"Tomorrow." She said and he then pushed off of the car and went into the airport. She sighed and drove out of the airport.

As soon as he situated himself in his seat for the short flight, he began to wonder what lie ahead of him, prompted by Scully's statement. He really had no clue what ends there were to tie up with Diana, as their relationship had ended just before Scully came into the X-Files picture. He glanced out the window and contemplated what he could be walking into. He thought for a slight moment that there were more secrets about Diana than truths that he was aware of. He took a deep breath and tried to mentally prepare himself for whatever was to come.

After an uneventful flight, he stepped off into the humid Georgian air. He paused for a moment and thought about how miserable he would be if he lived here, although he did a double take and noted that it was just as humid in D.C., but not as hot. His thoughts were then interrupted by a loud "Hey Mulder!" He looked around and finally recognized the face.

"Jacob," Mulder said and met the man with a hugging handshake. "What's it been now? 8 years?" he pulled back and shook his head.

"Something like that," he said and walked him back toward his car, waiting in the passenger pick up area just a few feet behind.

"Who's the kid?" he asked as they approached the vehicle, noting the girl in the backseat, fast asleep in her booster seat.

Mulder saw a flicker of hesitation. "Her name is Aubrey," he said and slid into the driver's seat, while Mulder got into the passenger seat beside him.

"She yours?" he asked and glanced back at the girl.

"No," he said and started the car, "She's yours."

Mulder laughed. "Very funny, always one with the humor," he said and paid no mind.

"I'm serious, Mulder. She just turned 7 in March," he looked into his eyes. "March 8, 1993."

He paused, feeling all the air leave his lungs. March. Roughly six months before Scully came along. Roughly ten months after Diana had fled to Berlin.

"You got a Mrs.? Cuz right about now I'd be considering what she's going to say about all this," he said and started the car.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I will be honest, I am much quicker when it comes to updating when I get reviews. When I don't, I don't update a much. No shame J

Scully had been scrubbing for what seemed like hours, and she noted that the kitchen was only half as clean as she'd prefer. She'd always taken to cleaning when her nerves were shot. She wiped the oven dry and leaned back on her heels to admire her work.

Maybe Mulder was right, that she needed to relax and be more focused on what was right in front of her. He hadn't said this recently, but he'd said it enough in the past. She wasn't sure what it was, but she'd been feeling anxious all day, though she hadn't felt it this intensely since she was in med school. She hadn't had much anxiety in her life, but on a rare occasion, she would be triggered by something and have a panic attack. She was pondering when her last panic attack was when her cell phone rang. She took her cleaning gloves off, set them on the stove, and walked over to her desk and picked up the phone.

"Scully," she answered.

"Scully, it's me," the familiar voice responded back. She let out a breath.

"Hi, how was your flight?" She sat in the chair at her desk and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hey Scully, I think I need you to come down here," he said, quickly ignoring her question.

"What? Mulder you have only been there for maybe three hours after the flight," she let out a breath. "And besides I have nothing to do with this, and I'm not sure I want to," she reported honestly.

"I need you, Scully. This doesn't have as much to do with Diana, at this point," he said vaguely. "Look, I know how you hate me making plans without talking to you but I think it's urgent you get here. I've booked you a 5:20 flight, I apologize for that but I wouldn't ask unless I was serious," he said apologetically.

"I…." She shook her head, "Can you even tell me what this is about?" She rubbed her forehead.

"I will pick you up from the airport and we will talk about it when we get back to the hotel," he said. "You can get the itinerary from American Airlines when you get to the airport."

She sighed.

"And Scully?" He paused. "Thank you."

"You're worrying me, Mulder," she said quietly.

"Don't worry, Scully. I'll see you when you get in," he said and hung up. She stared at the phone before laying it back on the desk. "Always keeping me on my toes," she mumbled and stood up to go to the room and get her overnight bag.

The rest was more like a blur to her: her white-knuckled flight, landing in Atlanta, the 20 minute drive to the hotel, and now she was sitting here waiting for whatever Mulder was going to tell her.

"You okay Scully? You're being fidgety which isn't normal for you," he leaned forward in the chair toward where she sat on the edge of his bed.

"I've been anxious all day, I don't know what triggered it," she confessed and looked into his eyes. "But I'm fine. And what's going on? Why am I here?" she questioned, still meeting his eyes.

"I've been trying to figure out how to put it into words, he said quietly and put his hands on her thighs in front of him. "I…" He shook his head. She questioned him with her eyes. "Apparently, when Diana left to go to Berlin, she was pregnant," he said slowly.

She sat back. He didn't say anything for a few moments, mindlessly massaging her thighs.

"She had your baby," she said just above a whisper. "And now…." She looked around the room, her breath speeding up and her heartrate immediately flying. She sat back and pushed his hands off of her legs.

"Scully-" he grabbed for her arm as she stood up.

"Don't touch me," she snapped and immediately registered the hurt on her face. "Not that….." she began to hyperventilate. "Panic…. attack, " she clawed at her shirt, trying to rip it off.

"No, here, come here," he went to her and led her back to the bed. "Sit down, put your head down," he almost forced her to bed over the bed and put her head between her knees.

"Not help…. I can't breathe," she sat back up and pushed him back. "I can't breathe," she clung to his shirt as she pushed him away.

"Tell me what you need, Scully," he said gently and held her in front of him. "How do I help you?"

"Sedative, my bag," she still wouldn't let go. "My heart is going to kill me," she looked in his eyes, as she continued to escalate.

"No its not, just sit down while I get the pill," he led her back to the bed and unclamped her hands from his shirt. "Count to ten with me, slowly," he said as he opened her bag and began throwing items onto the chair he'd recently occupied. "Two," he counted with her and fount the bottle of Xanax.

She almost choked on the water when she swallowed it with the pill. "Five," he sat in front of her again and looked into her eyes as they counted up to ten. Finally, her breathing began to slow and he was able to get her to lay down. "I haven't felt like this in almost 10 years," she breathed and covered her face.  
I don't blame you," he mumbled into her neck and pulled her tighter. "I basically dropped a bomb and lit the fuse," he continued.

She paused. "You have a child," she sat up and pulled out of his arms. "You have a kid, Mulder?" She asked again.

He rubbed his eyes. "I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see my own eyes in her face, staring at me."

She shook her head slowly. "How fitting," she turned to the window. "And you never knew? How old is she?"

"I didn't know until about 3 hours ago, and she is seven years old," he said and once again put a hand on her thigh. "I had no idea, she kept her from me. Apparently she had sworn her brother to secrecy, as well as anybody else who might have spilled the beans. She wasn't even supposed to come to me, she goes to her uncle in the will," he paused as she finally made eye contact, "But apparently nobody planned on her dying and this coming to fruition. He never thought about actually raising her and he decided he can't, so I guess…" he turned his head in finality.

"What are you thinking, Scully?" he asked after her silence continued.

"I'm thinking… that this is really… unfair," she said as her voice wavered. "I mean you and I aren't even defined and now we're going to be forced to change, how so I couldn't say," her lower lip trembled. "And after my recent… experiences, I honestly don't know how to feel about this," she turned away again, tears threatening to spill. "I don't have a clue how to react," She said and the tears did fall then, silently.

He let out a deep breath. 'I don't expect you to react at all, but however you do, is fine," he said as she still avoided eye contact. "I don't know how to react either. All I know is that she's a scared little girl who just lost her mom and doesn't know where she is going to be sleeping for the rest of her life," he sat up and joined her at the head of the bed, shoulder to shoulder. "As for us, I'm sure things will change but you're still my priority, Scully," he said softly into her ear.

"I might be, but what about her? She doesn't have anyone else, Mulder, she's going to have to be your top priority now," She finally met his eyes. "And so now, you're going to have to figure out where work and I fit in. And I'm not saying that to sound selfish, I'm being realistic. Your work has always come first and that's going to have to change… I'm not talking about for me, but for her," she leaned over and grabbed a tissue off of the end table. "You're going to have to move somewhere that she has a room, you're-"

"Scully, you're starting to panic again," he said softly. "Let's just take this one step at a time. I've thought about some of this, but not in depth – it's not even been a day yet," he said and clasped her hand between them. "The first things I would like to focus on are getting her into school, and finding a new place," he said as she lay her head back into the pillows.

"That's probably a good place to start," she said quietly.

He nodded. "Why don't we stay here the rest of the evening, and you can meet her tomorrow?" he said as he brushed tears off of her cheeks.

She nodded and didn't hesitate when he leaned in to kiss her.

"I'm getting tired of surprises, Mulder," she said with a shaky voice. "I'm ready for a crystal ball," she said into his chest as he held her close.

He chuckled at that. "Me, too, Scully," he said and kissed her hair. "Me, too."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sooooo… I'm just gonna bow my head in shame for taking a whole (literal) year to update this. Clearly, I can't promise updates at all haha. Just enjoy again? This one is semi-short but I'm hoping I don't fall off the wagon for another year :)

She awoke to a tickling sensation on her cheek.

"Hey," he whispered as she finally woke up, almost startled. "I got breakfast," he said and presented a to-go cup of coffee in front of her face.

"What time is it?" she mumbled and started to sit up.

"It's just past seven, but I wanted to you be able to wake up before Jacob brings Aubrey over," he said as she settled back into the pillows and he handed her the cup of coffee. "Diana's brother, he's got to take care of some other business and so he's leaving her with me this morning," he said and sat facing her.

She sipped her coffee.

"I'm sorry this is happening so fast," he said and tapped her knee through the blankets.

She looked up at him over the coffee cup. "I appreciate that you gave me as much notice as possible, I would choose this over you bringing her over to dinner tonight unannounced," she said and eyed the white bag sitting next to him.

"I brought breakfast with coffee," he opened the bag and pulled out a cup of fruit. "One boring fruit cup for you, and I got a breakfast burrito," he said and demonstrated the empty wrapper.  
"Thank you," she said and sat up a little further into the pillows. "Does she know you're… does she know yet?" she said and sipped the coffee before setting it on the nightstand.  
"Jacob was planning to tell her last night, so she probably knows by now," he watched her lean back into the pillows and look at the ceiling. "I'm so sorry," he repeated softly and moved his hand up to brush the hairs off of her face. "I would have never predicted this in a million years." She moved her eyes to his face.  
"It's not your fault," she said and looked back at the ceiling. "But do you really think I should be here for this?" she looked back at him as she watched the thoughts process in his mind. "She's probably going to have a hard time processing one new person in her life, and I… I mean, you and I haven't even had the chance to process who we are to each other, let alone who I would be to her," she sighed and eyed her fruit. "I don't even know if I can eat," she placed the fruit cup next to the coffee.  
"Who we are to each other doesn't need much processing on my end," he rubbed his eyes with a hand. "But you're right, we haven't ever really talked about it," he shook his head and turned away. "I definitely don't expect you to want to be here right now, and I'll understand if you want to go home, but I would really appreciate any help I can get." He looked directly into her eyes, "I'm a fish way out of water here and I need you, at least for me, if not for her," he pleaded.  
She studied him for a moment. "I'll stay," she said softly and raised a finger to his chin, "God knows she's going to need someone to offset your bad food choices; she'll be diabetic in a week otherwise," she reached for her fruit cup.  
"Oooh," he tapped his chest in mock-offense. "low blow, Scully, low blow."  
She shrugged as she ate a strawberry. "When is Jacob supposed to bring her over here? And what's the plan?" she dug around for a pineapple slice.  
He looked down at his watch. "He should be here in about 20 minutes, and then this afternoon we are supposed to go get some of her things. I think we will end up renting a car and driving home, though, where I'm going to put her, I have no idea," he sighed.  
She chewed her fruit in silence. "Well, let's just see what the day brings us, first," after a long, thoughtful pause. "If she's anything like you she should have no problem sleeping on a long car ride."

He shrugged and looked at his watch again.  
And then, 16 minutes early, there was a knock on the door.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ohhh, kay, okay," she tore back the blankets and stood up. She brushed her hair behind her ears and flattened out her shirt- she'd not changed into pajamas last night before falling asleep. Mulder was walking toward the door.  
"Wait, Mulder, wait," she walked toward him, "What's her name again?" she asked softly.  
He glanced at her with his hand on the handle. "Aubrey," he said, "She didn't say two words to me yesterday," he opened the door.  
"Hey Mulder," Jacob shook his hand. He then ushered Aubrey in the door.  
"Jacob, this is my partner Dana Scully," He held his arm out to her and she came forward and shook his hand. She couldn't take her eyes off the girl. She had long, dark hair down to the middle of her back – just curly enough to look unmanaged. She held a purple elephant close to her chest. She stared into Scully's eyes and lowered her head.  
"Aubrey," Mulder knelt down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "this is my friend Dana," he said softly. "She's going to help us get some of your stuff from your house today, and then we are going to all drive to Virginia. Do you remember us talking about that yesterday?" she nodded, still staring at Scully.  
"Hey look Mulder, I have to run, I've got an appointment with a new account. The key is under the mat at Diana's and you can take as long as you need. Just leave the key and I'll deal with the rest," Jacob said, halfway out the door.  
Mulder stood up and thanked him. "Don't be a stranger, Jacob," he said and patted his shoulder.  
"Ditto, Foxy man," he said and leaned down to Aubrey. "And you, you be good for your dad, okay? I know this is all new but you are going to be safe any happy. And you can always call me and we will visit," he said to her as she jumped into his arms.  
Then, it was just the three of them.  
"Aubrey," Mulder sat down in a chair near her. "Do you have any questions? I know this is quite a lot," he said and glanced at Scully.  
Aubrey looked between he and Scully. "Are you my new mom?" she asked quietly.  
"I…" she sat on the bed near Aubrey. "No, sweetie, I'm just hoping we can start off as friends," she said and put a hand in her hair. "Your hair is so long and pretty."  
"Uncle Jacob doesn't know how to brush it right. I'm 7. I'm not a baby. But I can't brush it right either," she looked down at her elephant.  
"Well maybe we can figure it out together," she said and looked at Mulder, then back to Aubrey. "What's your elephant's name?"  
"Jane," she said.  
"Well that's a pretty name," she said, noting that the elephant would likely need to be washed at some point.  
"Aubrey, did you eat any breakfast yet today?" Mulder interjected.  
She nodded.  
"So if you're hungry will you tell us?"  
She nodded.  
He stood up. "Should I…. go see about getting a bigger car?" He ran his hand through his hair, as though he is unsure of what he should be doing right now.  
"Well, Aubrey, would you be okay to stay here with me while he goes to get us a car?" She nodded. Scully stood up and put a hand on his elbow. "We'll be okay," she whispered, and he nodded. He looked around for the keys and picked the up off of the desk.  
"I'll… be back," he looked at Aubrey who watched him walk out the door.  
"Do you live with him? He's my dad, my mom showed me pictures so I know," Aubrey said and sat in the chair he was sitting in. Scully sat back down on the bed.  
"No, I live in my own apartment. But I see him a lot because we work together," she said. "Aubrey are you doing okay? It's okay to be sad, or scared, or anything, really."  
"I'm sad that my mom is never coming back, but I'm not really sad because she is gone all the time. So this is just like her being gone again."  
Scully nodded slowly. "Who would take care of you while she was gone?"  
"Rosa," she said and looked at her elephant. "I will really miss Rosa," she said and burst into tears.  
Dana went to the chair and kneeled next to her. "I'm so sorry sweetie," she said and hugged her.

Mulder pulled into the parking lot at the rental car agency, hoping to exchange the car he picked up last night for a larger vehicle, hopefully an SUV of some sort. He pulled the keys out and placed his head on his hands on the wheel. He had no idea how to prepare for what was to come, and come to think of it, has no idea how to prepare, period. He took a moment to be thankful that Aubrey had apparently taken to Scully, but what about later? What about when it was just he and Aubrey? 'Scully can't just take in my child,' he thought.  
He sighed and got out of the car.


End file.
